Of Tough Blondes and Southern Brunets
by Ronnie343
Summary: She never thought that anyone else could ever make her happy. She had been through too much to even think of romance. So, why the heck was this new maintenance guy suddenly tugging at her heartstrings? And what was even worse was that she allowed him to... AU. FelixXCalhoun. RalphXVanellope.
1. Nothing Special

**I'm sorry! I couldn't stop myself! Gah!**_  
_

**This fandom has took my inspiration, made a balloon animal out of it and given it back, causing me to jump up and down and squeal like the giddy fangirl I am.**

**Aw, man. I thought about this the very day that I saw the movie. But because how late it was, I wasn't exactly creative with it at first and had to get it out of my system. Then I took it, revised it and started giving the characters their own backstories and stuff.**

**But because I'm tired, I'll just give you guys the short version.**

**Take Tamora and Ralph and have them live in apartment complex, his above hers. Make them best friends. Take Vanellope and make her an old friend of Tamora who suddenly arrives one day to be her roommate. Add Felix, the shy repairman who literally just got the job. And it takes off from there.**

**There will be much more to say in the next chapter, I promise. And maybe some art...maybe.**

**This is FelixXCalhoun and eventual RalphXVanellope. Just saying.**

**Disclaimer: I was one of those people who thought Vanellope was Ralph's love interest, even after I saw the first trailer. Then the Word of God came...just like it did with Alice and the Hatter. :(**

* * *

_All she could do was stand there, her smile slowly fading._

_She was a fool for believing him. _

_They had gotten this far, only for him not to appear at the altar._

_And she was left alone once again._

_Not being able to stand another second, she threw down the bouquet and ran…_

* * *

"Where are they?!"

The room was a disheveled mess. Papers were strewn about the bed among other things. The covers were balled up on the edge, the mattress completely stripped. Drawers hung open, clothes just inches from hitting the floor as they hung from the sides.

"I know I had them! They were right there in my pocket…"

Putting her hands on her hips, she began to think.

"Okay, yesterday I woke up. Headed out. Came back and then I went…"

Oh, crap.

She quickly headed towards the front door. Sticking her head out, she was met by a nearby staircase. Thank goodness that there was only one other tenant in the building or she wouldn't have done this.

"Ralph!"

Silence.

"RALPH!"

There was only one answer to this outburst.

Storming up the stairs, the woman took no hesitation to kick the upstairs apartment's front door in. The mentioned patron only shrieked in horror before composing himself just few seconds later.

"Geez, be glad the door was open," he muttered, staring her down as she barged in. He was a rather large man, standing at 6'8", with spiky red hair and dark brown eyes. If looked at him from a fair distance, you could've swore that by the size of his muscles that he was training to be a bodybuilder.

Well, you guessed wrong.

The woman only pushed past him and began to frantically search his front room for an unknown object. After flipping a couple of couch cushions, she held up the object of her frustration, a pair of car keys. Not bothering to even offer to clean up the mess she made, she started heading towards the front door.

"Well, you could've at least said something to me."

"Buenos dias," she said sarcastically as she headed downstairs to her apartment. He only shook his head and closed the door behind her.

And again she wondered just how in the heck they became best friends.

Scratching her head roughly, she entered her apartment and set the keys down on a nearby desk. Her place was nothing special. In the living room, a 36" flat screen hung off the back wall. In front of it was a small oval coffee table that sat in front of two black loveseats. A bookcase sat in the back right-hand corner right next to a tall metal stand for dvds and cds. Her dining room simply consisted of a small brown table with two chairs. That was it. The kitchen resembled the previous room in its simplicity, the only things on the counters being a microwave, two dish racks and coffee machine with a refrigerator right across the room along with the sink. Her bedroom consisted of a queen size with a cherry wood headboard and a nightstand and dresser to match. The bathroom seemed empty except for the cupboard, black and white shower curtains and closet. The only color on the walls was stripe of blue that ran along the baseboard of every wall in the house except the bathroom.

Interior decorator she was not.

Also, money was tight, so she couldn't afford to dazzle up the place.

But she wasn't someone for giving a place a homey touch either.

Entering the kitchen, she grabbed a couple of dishes from the sink only to remember that the dishwasher was broken. She would fix it, but even with instructions, appliances never wanted to work with her when they needed to be repaired. Somehow, vehicles were just the opposite.

Picking up the phone, she dialed four numbers. A monotone voice entered the speaker and she immediately asked for the next available repairman. The landlord simply told her to hold.

The lack of females that resided in maintenance careers repulsed her. She wasn't a feminist by any chance. She just didn't appreciate the stares that she got most repairmen…well, the ones that she knew anyway. She didn't want to be one to judge. But at the same time, she had to make sure that she wasn't being screwed over. Very few ended up with their butts in the air outside her front door and gladly, that was a good thing.

After a few minutes, she finally heard a click.

"Excuse me," she asked. "I was wondering if you could send someone out to look at my dishwasher…30 minutes? Yes, that's fine. Section B. Apartment B-47. Alright, thank you."

"Hey, Calhoun." She turned around to notice that her friend had somehow silently entered the kitchen. "If you still need work on the dishwasher, y'know that I could call my friend and all…"

"Ah, it's fine," Tamora said. "You're a little late, though. I just called and they're sending out a repairman."

"Huh."

"And how did you get in, anyway?" she asked.

"The front door was open," he admitted sheepishly. His answer was only met with a look of frustration.

"But I closed…ugh…never mind," she groaned, pushing past him to get to the living room.

"Hey, this wasn't like that time I lost my wallet." He put his hands up in protest. "The door was unlocked. I swear."

"Sure it was, Ralph." Tamora plopped down on a couch.

"Fine, don't believe me," remarked Ralph, leaning against the wall behind her. "Oh, hey. When's your new roommate movin' in?"

"She should be here any day now," she said. "Supposed to be today, I think."

"Any idea what she's like?" Ralph asked.

"Ah, not really," she admitted. "You know that as long as they're known to be trustworthy and not thieves, I'm fine with it."

"Looks like my company won't be needed around here any longer, huh?" he asked jokingly.

"Who would want to replace you?" Ralph said nothing in response. "*sigh* I'm serious, big guy. You know that."

"Well, I'm just used to getting rebuffed and all…"

"Hey, don't get all sappy on me," she said. "I'm not one to abandon a comrade, especially ones I'm close to."

Ralph only stared at his friend of eight years, not exactly skeptical, but somewhat surprised. He was only two years older than her. She was 26, a rather tall, curvy blonde of a height of 6'1". Tamora Jean Calhoun as she was named. She was not one to beat around the bush, neither was she one to abandon someone. She put most men to shame with her tomboyish ways and no-crap attitude and was not afraid to get into your face when she had to. But she also had a soft side to her that only came out when a select few was around, including him. Even that was rare.

Beautiful she was. Gullible she was not.

She also completely understood his feelings when came to being pushed aside. But that was another subject…

"You're getting quiet on me, Ralph," she said, acting bored. "Something bothering you?"

Ralph only shook his head. "Nah. Just thinking. Just thinking…"

* * *

"Alright, son. You're up. Apartment B47. Second floor. Got it?"

The young man only nodded eagerly. Grabbing his toolbag and heading out the door, he set off towards his destination. It wasn't that far of a walk. He could handle it.

The young brunet beamed on the inside. Golly! His first repair job. Butterflies filled his stomach. He was worried more about making an impression on the householder than the job himself. He had gotten some weird looks from a few in the past, simply because of his accent. Unfortunately, he couldn't just suppress it. No sir! It had been the way he was raised, even if it was a bit…well, old-fashioned.

"B-47…B-47…" He repeated to himself.

This wasn't the first job that he had. He had a held a few down the line. He had inherited the trade from his father, who was as eager as he was when it came to his work. Like father, like son.

"B-47…B-47…"

He had just gotten this job recently. This also meant a rather nice apartment, but at the same time, he couldn't call a repairman when he needed one. What was the point? But rent for half-price was a good thing in this economy. He shifted the bag on his shoulders as he continued his trek. After a few minutes, he had finally arrived in Section B. Looking ahead, he walked past a few complexes before the building that held his destination caught his eye.

"B-47…This must be it."

Coming up the steps, he opened the building door and entered. A rather tall staircase was the only obstacle between him and his first customer. He took his time. Steps weren't exactly made for men who were only 5'3" in height. Finally arriving at his destination, he fearlessly knocked on the door.

"Yes?"

"I received a call about a dishwasher that needed fixin'," he stated plainly, adjusting his hat.

Rather heavy footsteps approached the door. A click was heard and it opened to reveal the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. The blonde only stared at him blankly.

"Jiminy Jaminy…"

* * *

**Say whatever you like, just no flames please!**


	2. Pint-Size

**Everything's moving so slow...**

**Ah, right, details.**

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I never knew that I would such a response.**

**But for now, some notes...**

**After watching the movie and coming home (and pacing around squeeing about it for ten minutes), I immediately began to think of how I could create a human AU from this movie. I knew that I had to do something original. So, at first, it was sketchy. So, I planned it out like this:**

**Tamora and Ralph...at first they were roommates, but I thought, no, with the past I had given them, it would be a little too close and Tamora was going be really edgy, while Ralph would seem calmly indifferent to most situations. That and their personality clashes...But I still wanted them in the same living space, so I decided to have them in apartments right above each other. Then I argued about Felix's and Vanellope's role in all this...Originally, Felix was going to be a new tenant, but I needed an excuse for him to meet Tamora, so now he lives farther away in another apartment building in a different section and works as a maintenance man at the complexes. Vanellope...ah, Ralph's little sister, at first? I toyed with that idea, but I also wanted to see how well I could support this ship without screwing it up, so I simply changed her to become one of Tamora's childhood friends, who...well, you'll see soon.**

**I didn't stop there, though. Somehow I had to involve the Sugar Rush racers in all of this, so I decided to split them into two groups, one that is against Vanellope and another that isn't...and somehow Taffyta made her way to the first. Taffy...she's now a friend of Vanellope who used to her her enemy until something happened in her life that shook her up and made her realize how much of Vanellope's life she had made a living hell. Their friendship is growing, but it still has some rough spots. King Candy is now Vanellope's...uncle? Father would be too harsh, but he was just too awesome to leave out. I'm still thinking of a name for him, though..and Turbo. I'm not going to spoil him for you guys yet. And for everyone who knows Brad, he was originally antagonistic, but it seemed out of place, but he'll fit into the fic somehow...**

**And now I'm just rambling.**

**Disclaimer: THEY'RE MAKING A SEQUEL?!**

* * *

_He swore that he would protect her._

_Well, he didn't exactly tell her that._

_But he couldn't stand to see her cry, either._

_Her heart had been broken. Again. And this time, it would take a long time to pick up the pieces._

_And as he held her broken, sobbing form, he promised himself that he would be the one to help her put it back together._

_And keep it safe…_

* * *

"Well?" she asked, seemingly impatient.

"Oh!" The man seemed to perk up at that statement. "My name is Felix, ma'am. I was sent out here to look at your dishwasher…"

As he talked, Tamora looked him over. He was a rather short young man with brown, side swept hair that was cropped just above his eyebrows. He wore a blue hat with a dark blue shirt and blue jeans. The landlord wasn't all that creative with colors. A thick brown tool belt adorned his waist and his shirt bore a sewn-in name tag that carried the name "Felix."

"So, would you mind showing me where the kitchen is?"

"Oh…right this way," she replied, returning to reality. "You must be new here. I haven't seen you around."

"Oh! Well, um, I actually just got the job two weeks ago," the man admitted, sounding sincere. "This is my first call."

Tamora raised an eyebrow. She usually expected a newcomer to be extremely confident in his abilities. This one, on the other hand, seemed rather humble.

"Nervous?" she asked.

"Not really," he admitted. "I'm not new to the trade, but this neighborhood is unfamiliar territory to me, ma'am."

Entering the kitchen, she waved him over to the source of the problem. Kneeling down on both knees, he opened the machine.

"Well, what seems to be the trouble?"

"Every time I turn it on, it keeps tripping the power," Tamora answered, standing by.

"How quickly?" he asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

"As soon as I turn it on," she continued, a little surprised that he hasn't…tried anything yet. "Like a split second after. I've tried fixing it myself, but because of my past experience with electronics, I don't think I helped any."

"Well, it doesn't look anything's wrong here, ma'am…" He trailed off before correcting himself. "I mean, in the sense that you've done anything wrong, that is."

"Flattery's not really up my alley," she replied solemnly.

He seemed surprised by that statement. "That wasn't really flattery. I was telling the truth."

She doubted it.

While he continued his work, Tamora watched carefully. She barely noticed when Ralph had emerged from the living room, calmly watching both of them from the kitchen doorway.

Carefully pulling out both trays, Felix started to search for the source of the problem, saying nothing while he worked. Which confused Tamora to all heck. Every maintenance man that she had met was usually pretty talkative. What made this one any different?

"Don't mean to be too quiet," Felix replied, seemingly reading her thoughts. "Just concentrating on my job, ma'am."

Tamora face scrunched. _What's his angle?_

Felix continued to silently work, delving deeper into the machine, until he was so far in, Tamora was sure he could fit inside the thing. The brunet then reemerged and faced her. "Well, it looks like we have major problem here." In his hands was the plastic blade of the dishwasher. "The only reason why your power would be tripping is because of a defense mechanism inside your dishwasher. Without it, it would cause major problems, anywhere from losing power in whole house to the motor in the dishwasher frying up and causing a fire.

"So, those surges are actually a good thing?" She asked, suddenly intrigued.

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I think the problem is your pump. Because of the age of the machine, it seems that's finally washed its last load. As much as I hate to say this, it's going to have to be replaced."

"Can you prove it to me?"

"…Excuse me?"

"Can you prove that it's the pump?" she asked, kneeling down next to him. "I want to make sure that this is actually the problem and not some extra $500 that I'm going to pay on my rent just because you said so."

The man only stared at her, his face turning a bright pink. Clearing his throat, he directed to her to the pump, which was located in the middle of the dishwasher, right where the blade originally sat before removal. Sure enough, the part looked worn and damaged and some corrosion had appeared on the bolts that held it together.

Tamora held back the urge to sigh and glare at him. He seemed to be matching her word for word, thought for thought, action to action. It almost infuriated her.

But she wasn't about to tell him that.

Getting back up on her feet, she rubbed her neck and thought carefully about her next statement.

"…How much is it going to cost?" she asked.

"Oh, you don't need to pay me anything, ma'am," he replied, rising up off the floor.

"Hey, you're a nice guy," she said before she could stop herself. "And you seem to know what you're doing. Most maintenance men that came over here wouldn't even allow me near them while I worked, as if they were hiding something. I owe you something for your hard work."

"Well…" Felix was seemingly flattered her offer. "I can only ask that you pay the price of the pump, which with this model will cost about $155 with tax."

"Done." She nodded.

"A-Alright, then." Felix cleared his throat. "We should be able to send someone out with the pump soon and I'll make sure that Gene talks to the landlord about adding it to your rent…"

He was stopped with the sudden placement of $50 inside his open glove. "Ma'am," he nearly choked, his face turning even redder. "I told you that you didn't have to do this…"

"And I told you that I owe you for actually doing your job right," she replied, cursing herself saying it a little too sternly.

And then immediately started berating herself for actually correcting herself on the way she spoke. What the crap was this guy doing to her that made her feel like this?

He pocketed the money and tipped his hat to her. "Thank you. I truly appreciate this."

"You're welcome."

He pulled his cap down a bit. "I guess I'd better be on my way, then. I'll see you later, then."

Tamora only nodded again, not sure what to say. As he headed through the hallway, a thought came to her mind.

"Hey, make sure that you tell 'Gene' that he sends you out with the pump."

Felix stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around. "Why?"

"You're the only guy I can trust here not to screw me over," she admitted, shrugging a bit.

"Well…thank you, ma'am," he said. "I'll be sure to tell him that." And with that, he was off.

And she couldn't help but watch him leave until he disappeared out of sight and the door was heard closing.

That's when she realized that her face felt warm.

And she would've slapped herself if Ralph hadn't appeared out of nowhere.

"Where the heck did you come from?" demanded Tamora, feeling somewhat exposed as her cheeks burned.

"I was hanging out in the hallway until he got out the dishwasher," the redhead replied simply. "And I didn't feel like scaring the guy half out of his wits with size and all…what's with your face?"

"What are you talking about?" she nearly snapped.

Ralph only took a step back. Then he smirked. Deviously.

"…What?!" The silence was seriously starting to get to her. She didn't like the expression, as if he was planning something sinister.

"You know…I was going to say something," he finally responded, his face beaming. "But honestly, I don't fill like having my heart ripped out…"

Before he could finish, she had stormed over and pulled his face close to hers by way of his collar. "I will if you don't tell me what wheels you got turning in that huge head of yours!"

Ralph raised an eyebrow. "Alright, then." He yanked himself free and straightened up his shirt. "It's just that I haven't that…look on your face in a long time. That's all…"

"What look?" She seriously hoped in the back of her mind that it wasn't what she thought it was.

"Do I have to state it plainly?" he asked. "You've barely even met this guy and already you're blushing…"

Tamora opened her mouth to say something in protest, but stopped to think. "Well…even so, my heart isn't racing, big guy. So you can flush that idea out of your mind as soon as it came in."

"I never said it was." She waited for him to say something else, but he only turned around and headed towards the living room, hands in his pockets. Feeling frustrated, she gave her broken dishwasher a kick. What was with her? Her heart had hardened towards any man's affections. She wasn't about to let anyone in that would potentially scar her life…again…

She shook her head furiously. No, she wasn't about to go back there. She made a resolve not to let any man, not even "Felix", affect her like this. Just like Ralph had said, they had barely met. She shouldn't be feeling anything towards him, even the smallest bit of regret from how harsh her tone sounded whenever she spoke. Starting to realize that she felt a bit peckish, she opened the fridge only to be hear the doorbell ring.

"Need me to get that for you?" she heard Ralph ask.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," she responded absentmindedly, concentrating more on food than the unknown person who had decided to drop in for a visit. After about 30 seconds of rummaging, she heard Ralph call her name from the living room. Resisting the urge to sigh loudly, she closed the refrigerator and headed towards the front door.

"What is it? You know that I'm busy…"

Ralph moved out of the way to reveal the source of his calling for her. There was a short, young woman at the doorway, hauling a large, black suitcase. She had black hair that was held up in a ponytail with two long bangs that hung down the sides of her face. Her small face was outlined with her large, curious brown eyes that stared up at Tamora. She wore a sea green hoodie with red pullstrings, a brown double-layered pleated mini skirt, green and white leggings with asymmetrical patterns and black biker boots with pink soles. Her eyes widened and she dropped her luggage at the sight of Tamora.

It couldn't be…

"Vanellope?"

* * *

**Next chappie's gonna be fun to write!**

**There is a review button down there...as long as you don't think that this chapter is terrible. *ducks***


	3. Bittersweet Candy

***falls over from weight of reviews* Thank you! I feel so honored. I'm just happy to know that this isn't boring anyone!**

***pushes self up* Okay, notes.**

**First...**

**I DO NOT FULLY ENDORSE THE PAIRING(S) THAT IS MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER.**

**I think it's cute. That doesn't mean I support.**

**I would say something else about it, but I plan to reveal that in time, anyway.**

**BTW, about Ralph's build...he's not a typical strong guy. He's more square than slim-hipped, broad-shouldered. He has a solid build. Think Moose Mason's body type from Archie Comics if he looked like he had more muscle and was three inches taller, even with the fact that he's stronger than he looks. (If you don't know him, Google is your best friend.)**

**Vanellope not's a total stick, either. Hence, the reason I mention her waist size in this chapter. I wanted to make sure she wasn't perfect.**

******Also, I have some clever ways in mind to include some more characters in the movie. You think the Bad-Anons and the Nicelanders would be left out of this? *heh heh* You have no idea...**

**And onto reviews.**

**TheNarrator24: Thank you! **

**Grecia427: ****I wanted to make sure that no one's...well, mostly, left out. And that name is perfect! That also means that he will probably be her (Vanellope's) mom's brother, hence the different last name and everything.**

******Kari Winters: Thanks! And here it is!**

******Trent: :3**

******yensidlove: Now, that I think about it, you do have a point. Thank you for pointing that out!**

******The Phantom Soldier: Really? I feel like I'm going OOC with every character I write. Nice to know I'm keeping the flow going.**

******thegirlwhosaidhi: :)**

******nr21193: Ah! Thank you so much! I understand. The author has really make the AU work with the fandom, yes? And it's still a struggle for me, hence the fact that I try to write my main points down in one feel swoop and painstakingly edit it later.**

**************LoveBug53: Calm down before you give yourself a heart attack, lol!**

**************The Third Biker Scholar: Thank ya! **

**************PrayerGirl: :D**

**************Kelly: Welcome, welcome! May your stay be filled with lots and lots of fandoms! And thank you!**

************** .4u.:Thanks!**

**************Queenofthefanfiction: It is here!**

**************pret: XDDDD Thank you! And go see it ASAP! It's too awesome to be missed!**

*******************************squees* I'm getting overly giddy from all these reviews. Thanks again!**

**Disclaimer: Right after I saw the movie, I realized how different it was due to the fact that the core four were voiced by actors usually associated with mature movies/shows. And that made it even more awesome.**

* * *

Ch. 3

_"I wish I could be there. You sound like you're having a lot of fun with your fiancé."_

_"Thanks. Too bad you couldn't make it."_

_"Yeah…I just wish my uncle wasn't so friggin' demanding. I want to see my friend get married, not run off and start 'messing around'-as he put it-with some boy. I'm 20 years old for pete's sake. "_

_"And still not old enough to buy alcohol."_

_"Well, gee, thanks. Some friend you are."_

_"Well, when you turn 21, I'll be right at your door with a bag of Budweisers. How's that sound?"_

* * *

He'd never thought he'd see the day that his friend would get bowled over by someone smaller than her.

The woman looked to be about 5'1", which was about as tall as his chest. And she was probably-what? Size 4? 5? Whatever it was, she was relatively tiny when compared to him.

But here she was, ramming into Tamora faster than a bullet.

"TAMORA!"

With a high-pitched voice to match.

The women were on the ground in an instant. Tamora seemed to be in shock as her friend hugged her like it was no tomorrow. "Omigoditsbeensolong!" She got up and squealed as the blonde slowly reeled from what had just happened. An instant later, they were enveloped in a bear hug once more, this time instigated by Tamora herself. They were a giggling mess…

And Tamora didn't usually giggle.

Pulling away from each other, both let out an elated sigh.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping in touch, lately," Vanellope said. "I dropped my phone and the screen broke. That's when I lost your number…"

"Hey, it's fine," Tamora said. "In reality, I should be the one apologizing. I've been…busy…"

Vanellope perked up. "Oh! That reminds me! Where's your husband, Brad?"

Tamora's skin immediately turned pale and she looked away, her face showing a flash of a thousand emotions.

"Oh…" Vanellope started to fidget, somewhat embarrassed. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean…what happened? If I can ask that…that is…"

"…He never showed up," Tamora answered after a few minutes. Vanellope, seemingly getting the message, nodded. "Is that why…well, you stopped calling?"

"…Yeah…" The blonde admitted. Ralph automatically took a step forward. Whenever Tamora got like this, he knew that she could break at any time.

Gladly, she didn't seem to be as emotionally affected as before. Huffing, she turned towards the dark-haired woman and smiled. "No crying over sour grapes, I guess. At least you didn't have to go through that…"

Vanellope scratched her head. "Um…not in that sense. It just wasn't as tragic…"

"You…and Rancis?" Tamora asked.

Her friend only shook her head. "A year and a half has passed. Besides, he was a real jerkwad, anyway." Her perkiness seemed to return almost instantly as she smiled. "But I'm just glad that I've finally found my BFF after two years. "

"Same here, hun." Tamora crossed her arms and smiled.

Taking that as a compliment, Vanellope quickly turned around and grabbed the suitcase that she had dropped on the floor.

"Do you need any help there, comrade?"

"Nah, it's fine," she replied.

Her voice seemed to tell her otherwise. But it didn't seem like Tamora was going to argue.

"Oh! Where's the guest room?" Vanellope asked.

"Second door to the left," the blonde replied, holding her hand out to the hallway. "Do you have any other bags?"

"They're at the bottom of the stairs," the young woman quickly said, slowly hauling her luggage to the bedroom.

"Ralph! Would you mind helping us out?"

And with that, she was back to her old self. Ralph only turned towards her, about to answer.

A sudden thump was heard as Vanellope nearly dropped her suitcase on her own foot. Turning around, she slowly walked backwards into the living room and turned around for a seemingly dramatic effect. She stared at him, eying him from head to toe.

"…Ralph?"

"Yeah?" He said before stopping himself.

Vanellope's face registered a weird mixture of emotions.

"As in…_Ralph_?" She put extra emphasis on his name as she directed this question towards Tamora.

"Yeah…" Tamora only nodded, seemingly as confused as Ralph.

"As in…the Ralph from high school?" Vanellope's expression became filled with more and more disbelief.

"Yes…" Tamora drew out slowly.

"As in…the Ralph who was your old boyfriend?"

Tamora only nodded. "…And?"

Vanellope said nothing as she literally stared up at him. Finally, she opened her mouth, her voice seemingly filled with disgust. "What?"

"What's your problem?" Ralph asked, feeling slightly offended. She only glared at him and crossed her arms. "Nothing."

"Sure doesn't sound like it," he said, a growl starting to register in his voice.

"Hey, you're the one that got offended," she said, a smirk growing on her face. "I just don't see how Tamora could even look at a guy like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" he demanded, struggling to keep his temper under control.

Vanellope pinched her nose. "Dear god, man! Brush your teeth, will you?"

Ralph only said nothing, his fists clenching and unclenching as he fought to keep his temper from exploding. Seemingly sensing his frustration, Tamora directed Vanellope towards the guest room. "C'mon, Vanellope. He's my friend."

"Well, I'm sorry. I just don't see how you could even end up with a human version of the Green Giant."

"Look you little-!" Ralph clamped his mouth shut before he could resort to using the worst insults imaginable. "Ah! I don't have time for this…"

"That's right," Vanellope responded. "You do have time to get my bags, Jeeves."

In almost an instant, he stormed up to the much smaller woman, towering over her as his temper raged. "Listen, you! I could snap your neck in an instant!"

"Then why don't you just do it? Nobody's stopping you."

"GAH!" Ralph threw his hands up in the air, stopping himself before he did anything drastic

"Hey!" Tamora's voice attracted both of their attentions. "I'm gonna stop you! Both of you, get a flippin' hold of yourselves or so help me, _your _neck will be snapped and you will be kicked out!"

Both said nothing, seemingly silenced in submission. Tamora took a long hard breath and ran her hand down her face. "I'm sorry. Just…*sigh* never mind. Ralph, be a gentleman and get her bags. WITHOUT destroying them. Please?"

Sighing heavily, Ralph only nodded and turned around, but not before catching a devious smirk emerge on Vanellope's face. Sending her a warning glare, he trumped towards the door and down the stairs, muttering under his breath. Sure enough, there were three more bags, each lavishly decorated with splashes of color, including the handles. Grabbing two in his left hand and slinging the largest one over his shoulder, Ralph trekked up the stairs. He was considering leaving the bags right in front of door and heading upstairs that so he could let out some steam. But that was before he heard mentions of his name. Grumbling, he stepped inside the apartment and slowly placed Vanellope's luggage behind one of the couches. As he got closer to the guest room, he started to hear their conversation.

"…You're acting like my mother, y'know," he heard Vanellope say.

"I might have to if you two keep acting like kids," Tamora griped, clearly voicing her disapproval.

"Well, I'm sorry for being frank," Vanellope said, her voice sounding somewhat calmer. "I just…when I he opened the door, I thought I had the wrong the apartment. He also looked like he was glaring at me…"

"He always looks like he's glaring at someone whose height is less than 6 feet…"

"That point aside, I was about to ask if you were here…or if h was someone that you knew…y'know, before I knew it was you, but before I could say anything that's when he called and stepped out of the way to let you through."

Tamora was silent for about a minute before Vanellope broke the silence. "…Does he stay here?"

"Believe or not," Tamora said. "I don't think we could handle each other. I actually invited him to stay here, but he said he didn't want any rumors flying around."

"Doesn't really seem like the guy to care about that stuff…"

"Common sense much, Vanellope?" Tamora asked, seemingly agitated. "*sigh* He lives upstairs."

"Oh, god…"

"Oh, for the love of-! Are you that disgusted with him?"

"It's more like the opposite…well…that's what I think…" Vanellope admitted. Ralph grimaced a bit, but kept quiet. "I'm not exactly disgusted…more like, surprised. I mean, you always looked like the type of person to get those guys who are 'tall, dark and handsome.'"

Ralph repressed the urge to sigh, rolling his eyes instead.

"…You seem to have forgotten that most of the 'tall, dark and handsomes' were afraid of me…"

"Good point. Brad seemed to be the exc-oh, sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine." The hurt in her voice let him know otherwise.

"Why do people always say that it's fine when you can obviously tell they're not? I won't talk about him anymore, okay?"

"…That would be great actually…" Tamora choked out, sighing. Her tone then completely changed with the next question. "Where the heck is Ralph? He should've been here with the bags…"

Realizing that he had forgotten the bags, Ralph silently facepalmed and turned around to try and retrieve them before getting caught.

"If he bailed, then, good riddance, I say." Ralph bared his teeth and hastily grabbed the luggage.

"*sigh*This is going to take a while," Tamora said. The mentioned man emerged and dropped his head and shoulders in an attempt to get into the room without hitting his head. Dropping the bags, he stopped for a second, considering of whether or not to make a snappy comeback. Deciding against it for the sake of his temper and, even though he didn't want to admit it, Vanellope's wellbeing, he started to leave.

"Giving up, Dr. Banner? I thought you had more fight in you…"

"…Tamora…" Ralph said, his voice a deep growl. "Could you please…just…help me before I kill…this…imp…who has suddenly decided that this apartment is her new home? I beg you…spare me…from this torment…"

"Vanellope, this is the last time," he heard Tamora calmly say. "Please stop. Ralph's getting scared right now…"

Vanellope opened her mouth, but seemingly decided that it was of her better judgment not to say anything. Getting up, Tamora placed her hand on his back and slowly began to walk with him to the living room and out the front door. Once outside the building, Ralph immediately let lose his fury, ramming his fist into the large tree that he had decided to make his victim. Tamora only stood by calmly, used to the standard procedure that he initiated to calm himself down.

He was just glad that he didn't take it out on anybody else.

After a few minutes, Ralph panted and leaned heavily against the very tree that took his beating.

"…Why didn't you tell me she was such a…ah, never mind…I can't blame you for this."

"Glad you took your time and admitted that, soldier," Tamora replied, walking over to his side. "But I'm sorry. I knew she would be a chatterbox, but the last time I saw her, she wasn't so….fearless. But that was almost 12 years ago."

"Well, whatever she was twelve years ago, that's a long stretch from how she is now," Ralph grumbled.

"Point taken." Tamora frowned a bit. "Listen, Ralph. I know now that she's gonna be handful to deal with. One thing that hasn't changed about her is that she's quick to form an opinion about someone. And she's very stubborn. It's not smart to argue with her."

"Let me guess. It's better to keep my mouth shut?" Ralph asked sarcastically.

"In your case, maybe not," Tamora said, smirking a bit. "It's probably best that you take your leave before you get too steamed, 'kay?"

"…" Ralph huffed and stood up, resigning to fate. "Alright, I'll try."

"That's my guy." She started to walk back towards the building.

Ralph only stood there, still a little on edge. Just because he said he could try doesn't mean that he would be able to do it.

And in Vanellope's case, that was the only thing he was afraid of.


	4. Honeyglows

**I'm back. I'm not dead! And hopefully I won't let two weeks pass again. I really want to get this story out of my system and down on paper. I feel like I owe everyone.**_  
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**Notes: Uh...yeah, I have art for this, but should post it? I have a tumblr (kashiakuraku) now and I don't post art on it everyday, but I try when I can, especially with RPing and such. I already have a sketch of Vanellope's and Felix's designs, but Ralph is still giving me some problems. I'm going to try and sketch up the others, too. Also, there are reasons why I revealed one of Ralph's...hobbies here as well. All the characters have different dimensions to them and Ralph is a complicated character whose personality that I love mash and mold according to my headcannons and such. And who doesn't watch cartoons are the age of 22? I'm pretty sure that there are plenty. I also introduced a minor, but important character nonetheless. And yes, this is somewhat filler, but I'm setting up for a scene in the next chapter that I'm pretty sure you guys would want to see.  
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**Reviews:  
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**Grecia427: Hey, no prob! And Ralph is Ralph. He's gonna be rude one way or the other. :)  
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**Trent: Thank you! Why not? That's how they started in the movie, so why not here? And it's no prob. I've been pushing past this bit of writer's block that I have and I hate to disappoint.  
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**TheNarrator24: I'm actually planning for that in a future chapter. :)  
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**Queenofthefanfiction: :)  
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**rangers123: I do that almost every day. Thank you!  
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**agw7897: You're taking a chance?! *gasp* Maybe, just maybe I can make you like RalphXVanellope. Maybe? I kid! I kid! In reality, even though I like the RXV pairing, I also enjoy their bro/sis relationship as well, but I guess it's a 50/50 I guess. Be warned, though. In later chapters, there will be fluff with them involved, so brace yourself! I'm a big sucker for Felix/Calhoun as well. And thank you!  
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**The Phantom Soldier: Really? Aw, man. That actually slipped my mind when I wrote this, lol. And there's more where that came from. I'll be exploring more of their past later on.  
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**SephKid: And you shall!  
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**LittleMissPanda84: Thanks!  
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**xXxGuardian SinxXx: And soon this shall be the only story you read! MUHAHA-I mean, thanks! I really appreciate it!  
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**Hoping this chapter doesn't disappoint!  
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**Disclaimer: They're actually making a sequel. I honestly don't know how to feel...**

* * *

_"I've got to admit…You're a beautiful woman. I've thought that ever since I've met you. I just had no idea how to say that."_

_"Flattery won't get you anywhere."_

_"I've known you for two months. How else am I going to win you over?"_

_"By being yourself. How hard can that be?"_

* * *

"…"

"…Were you sayin' something, Gene?"

"No. I was just wondering when you were going to get that silly look off your face."

Felix grimaced. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Only when you're grinning and staring off into space," monotoned Gene.

Felix said nothing. He knew he wasn't that good at hiding his feelings, especially when they radiated inside him from head to toe.

Gene straightened himself up and sighed. He was a somewhat heavyset man. It was obvious he had some pudge to him. Despite the short black hair he had, he had managed to arrange it into a sidesweep that stayed atop his head. His most prominent feature was the thick black mustache on his face. He wore a blue cardigan with a white dress shirt. An empty brown tool belt hung lazily around his waist and he had on blue jeans and black work boots.

Gene Winters, as he was known, was a rather…interesting man. He was friendly to most, but if anyone rubbed him the wrong way, he was quick to turn his demeanor around. He preferred to keep to himself, mostly to think and observe, only putting his own two cents in when he thought he was needed. He wasn't shy, though. He tended to be rather picky about things though and if you could tolerate his mannerisms, well…you were one of the few. He was the head over the maintenance department of the apartments and usually remained in the office. But the belt on his hips told most that knew him that it was a busy day and even with the five repairmen he had hired, he had to answer a few calls himself.

Felix had known Gene from a few years back, when his own father had helped one of Gene's relatives with a plumbing problem of theirs. Felix also got his own share of the work and she was so impressed, she paid both of them more than they had informed she owed. Somehow, when got out that Felix was job hunting, she was able to convince Gene to give the young repairman a chance. Both didn't expect an unlikely friendship to come out of the deal, even with the 7-year age difference.

Sighing, Felix ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry about that."

"No need," Gene said, smiling a bit. "I mean, when you're met someone, you've met someone. It happens to most people."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say 'met,'" Felix admitted, straightening himself up. "But if you say so."

Gene smirked. "Let me guess. She's 'sweet as apple pie', as you would put it?"

Felix sighed. "Not even close."

"Excuse me?"

"She's got a certain kick to her," Felix said. "She's…a ball of fire."

"Fire?" Gene asked, his expression full of disbelief.

"Turns me on she does," Felix continued, somewhat lost in his own fantasy world as he envisioned Tamora. "And so tall and just lovely…"

"Tall?" Gene's voice started to voice his disbelief now.

"Mhm-hm. Doesn't take no sass, either. Straight to the point. Doesn't beat around the bush. "

Gene was speechless now. Noticing the silence, Felix looked at his manager. "Gene?"

"I'm sorry…I'm just surprised as all," Gene admitted.

"Same here," Felix admitted dreamily. "There's only one thing I hate about her, though."

"Oh?" Gene looked pleasantly surprised. "And what's that?"

"I never got her name." Felix looked thoughtful for a second and leaned back in his seat. Gene only chuckled and shook his seat.

"I know I'm not a believer in a love at first sight," Gene stated plainly. "I mean, c'mon, it took me years to realize I loved Mary as much as she loved me, but Felix, you've got it bad."

"I know," Felix admitted, sighing. "I know."

* * *

"Put your back into it, Kohut! You have to thrust like you mean it!"

A towel hung around her neck.

"Harder!"

Hair was tousled, the front bangs started to hang wearily from sweat.

"That's it! Keep it going!"

Despite her happiness on the inside with his improvement, she kept her face hard and stern.

"Don't slack if you hit a rough spot! Work through it!"

"Dear god, Tamora!" He yelled. "You're going to tire me out like this!"

"Then you shouldn't have taken up boxing then," she griped. His face hardened and he said nothing in response, continuing to beat the punching bag as hard as he could. After a few minutes, he stopped, panting heavily. The blonde didn't say anything and he took it as the perfect opportunity to grab a nearby water bottle.

"You usually don't work me this hard, Coach," he admitted, chugging some of the drink. "Something on your mind I shouldn't know about?"

Tamora was about to respond, but then the sudden image of a certain handyman popped into her head. A small blush emerged on her cheeks and her face hardened, causing her to unknowingly glare at her student.

"Sorry I asked," he said, readying himself. He began to practice a few of the harder, slower swings at the bag, taking care not to accidentally hit her.

Tamora huffed unknowingly. She shouldn't be acting like this. And he was right. The only time she ever worked her students harder than usual was she had something on her mind. Especially when it was bothering her.

And this man had been bothering her ever since.

It had been three days since he had checked out the dishwasher. And for the weirdest of reasons, she couldn't get him out her head. It was not like she found him attractive…

She felt her face heat up even more and her glare furthered.

This was not supposed to happen. Not again.

Not ever.

"Coach?"

Kohut's calling to her brought her back to reality.

"It may be out of my place to ask, but do you need a break? I don't want to knock you down like I did a couple of months ago."

"…You know, that's the best suggestion I heard all day, soldier," she replied, nodding. "Meet you in 15 minutes. If Markowski comes within that time period, you two are sparring, got it?"

"Aye, aye, Sarge," he said, jokingly. He exited the room, weaving in and out of the other trainers and trainees until he disappeared out of sight. Tamora sat down on a nearby mat, running her fingers through her hair.

She needed to pull herself together.

Or she would be a victim again.

She couldn't wait 'til work was over. She would be able to distract her mind and keep it on other things. Just something to keep her thoughts occupied…

It would be so much easier to think.

Or so she thought.

When Tamora came home, she was met with the sight of a rather furious, but silent Ralph standing outside the apartment building. His face had been contorted in a grimace, his eyes closed as he fumed without words. She wasn't one to get frightened easily, but whenever he got like this, it was best not to bother him unless he said something to you.

Stopping on the stairs, she looked up at him. Seemingly noticing that someone was there, he popped one eye open and looked at her wordlessly. Finally, after about a minute, he spoke.

"How was work?"

"More hectic than usual," she admitted. "What about you?"

"No calls yet," he replied rather solemnly. "Unfortunately."

"Unfor-oh…" Tamora didn't say anything. She wasn't sure if he said that because of her new roommate or due to the fact that his funds were starting to run low.

She suspected that it was both.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Vanellope standing behind it.

"Our resident thespian still outside?" she asked, crossing her arms. Tamora grimaced and looked back at her friend, who only huffed.

This was bad.

She had somehow found out that Ralph was a lover of musicals, which wasn't something that he revealed to the general public.

And if Vanellope was the same girl she used to be, she would use that to her advantage.

"Evening to you too, girlfriend," Tamora replied. "How was your day?"

"Can't complain." Vanellope rocked back and forth on her heels. "It was pretty boring until I heard the song, 'I Feel Pretty' ringing through the air duct."

"That was 'America', genius," Ralph mumbled.

"And I'm pretty sure I heard you singing it, too." Vanellope smirked. Ralph only seemed to get more irritated, but somehow had a witty comeback this time.

"At least I wasn't watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."

"I was not watching that!"

"I heard the theme song." Ralph smirked. Vanellope's face turned red.

"When I turned on the tv, it…that was Adventure Time, you dolt!" she grumbled. "How can you mistake one for the other?"

Ralph shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

"Are you two done bitin' each other's throat's yet?" They both turned to see Tamora, the tired expression on face showing that she was not amused. Her face had also warmed up again, for the very thoughts that she wanted to avoid had resurfaced at an alarming rate. Trudging upstairs, she fished her pockets for her house keys. The sooner she got in, the better. Maybe a short nap would help calm her down, as long as those two keep their vocal levels down to a minimum.

Ralph's enraged voice let her know otherwise.

Tamora pinched the bridge of her nose and opened her apartment door. This was going to be a long night…

That's when the phone rang.

Grumbling, she walked over to the ringing appliance and snatched it up. Taking a second to compose herself, she said,

"Hello?"

"Ma'am? This is Felix."

Tamora nearly crushed her phone in her hand.

"…Yes?"

"Well…" He cleared his throat. "We were able to order the pump and it just arrived. I was wondering what would be the best time to um, come over and install it."

"Um…"

_Don't say it._

_Any other day would be fine. Just don't say…_

"Tomorrow," she finally choked out. "Tomorrow would be great."

"Oh, alright!" His voice seemed unusually perky, but somewhat she wasn't that surprised. "I see you at 9:30 AM. Or will a later time be better?"

_Later! Say later!_

"9: 30 is fine."

"Okay, then," he said, sounding rather happy. He then cleared his throat again. "I'll see you at 9:30 sharp tomorrow morning ,ma' am, okay?"

"Right," she replied absentmindedly. "Bye, then."

"Goodbye."

A click was heard on the other side. In almost an instant, Tamora was on the couch, screaming into the pillow.

It had only been three days.

Why was everything happening to her now?


	5. Little Things

**Ah, this chapter was SO HARD TO WRITE. It really was! But now that it's out, for some reason, it just makes the next one easier to write. What gives? Anyways...  
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**Notes: Character designs are coming along nicely, but...should I redesign everyone who appears? I might there will be quite a bit of people here, even if they only appear once. Or maybe I should look up other human designs. *shrugs* I'll be posting the first batch soon, though, so be on the lookout! And O. MI. GERD. February 12! The digital release of Wreck-It Ralph is coming out! Maybe I should do a livestream when I buy it. Hm. Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, everyone has their little quirks and one of Vanellope's is revealed here. Yes, this is part of the "glitch" that I'm giving her. I'm trying to make it realistic while keeping it close to the movie as well. And yep, that includes Ralph's hatred of chocolate, which will be for two reasons. I might make Tammy a secret pie lover or something. Hm...  
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**TheNarrator24: Now that think about it, she is like that isn't she?  
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**ShadowAbsol13: No! No! It's fine! It's hard for me as well, but it's an interesting challenge when I write her dialogue and such, especially anything that comes from her point of view. I like to imagine that deep down she can be a softie, but it's rare when that side of her comes out.  
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**The Phantom Soldier: You have no idea how hard it was to decide her job. I wanted to make sure that I choose something that works and a boxing coach is part of her job. More will be revealed about their careers and such. And thank you! I will definitely be incorporating your idea in a furture chap. I just need to decide when will be the perfect point.  
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**trent: Thank you! And it's here! Never knew that I could have such a loyal fan. No, really. Thank you.  
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**rangers123: Thanks. And I'm trying to build something up. They're not arguing without a point in mind.  
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**jeh-nee: *squee* Really?! Thanks! And that's a yes, but something needs to happen first. Not that I'm going to spoil that, mind you.  
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**DangerousD: Why do I keep attracting you guys? Now I'm scared since I have to work harder to make sure I don't scare you off when the fluff comes. But thank you! And I may not watch MLP that much, but I'm guilty of watching Adventure Time!  
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**LittleMissPanda84: After I wrote it out, I felt the same way. And then I was like, I wonder how many will be fooled before I reveal what's really happening? lol. And thank you. I should probably start watching people argue as references. It's hard to think of things to argue about for them.  
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**SephKid: Aw! Thanks! I'm glad that it picked up your day!  
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**Jislane35: THANK YOU! Thank you so much! And I know exactly what you mean! I fell in love the couple before the movie even came out, lol. And I've been wondering why they're aren't more human AUs around here. 19 and a cartoon lover! And really?! I'm...I'm honored! That would be great!  
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**Guest: I've shipped them ever since I heard of the scene of Felix being in awe of Tammy's High-Def. So I guess that qualifies as day one? Never mind. Another lover of musicals! *high fives* I love West Side Story and it's revival and thanks to learning about John C. Reily being in Chicago and actually hearing him sing Mr. Cellophane,(If you haven't, look it up and make sure it's the movie version. It's that good!) it just clicked! And you're welcome!  
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**PhineasFan8311: Thank you! Even though I will admit that it's tempting to skip all the details and just tell you guys blatantly what's going to happen, but then it wouldn't be a fic , would it?  
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**BriannelTango: Thanks!  
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**me-ladie: :)  
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**hochmodel: Thank you! And to answer questions, yes, they did date and I'll reveal more about it later in the story. Also, if you remember that Vanellope and Ralph's relationship didn't start off on the right foot, so that's why. It will get better as time goes on, but for now, it will get worse until...well, I'm going to spoil it just yet.**

**Psiie: Thank you!  
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**BEN123: Thanks! Well, this is a human AU, so at three feet he would be a drawf. Also, he's about 5 feet in the movie, due to the fact that Ralph is 9 feet and Felix is about half his height, maybe a tiny bit taller. That's what I based it on. I also had to make sure that it was realistic.  
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**Gabyvill: Thanks! And you came just in time!  
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**Disclaimer: I can't wait for March 5. I want that collector's edition! And I don't even have a Blu-ray player yet!  
**

* * *

_"I don't see what he sees in me. I'm always scaring guys away."_

_"Well, you didn't scare me away."_

_"Of course not. When I was 5'3", you were 6'. How could I?"_

_"Because maybe I saw something else under that gruff exterior of yours."_

_"Which was?"_

_"A heart. I bet that's what he sees, too."_

* * *

"Hot date?"

Vanellope gave her roommate a sly smirk. Tamora only glared and walked into the bathroom.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," the brunette replied, laughing as soon as the door slammed in her face. Sighing, she stretched and headed to kitchen, breakfast on her mind.

It wasn't like she didn't know.

Tamora had been acting funny ever since she had arrived. She noticed it on her first night there. When she asked what the problem, she was automatically met with harsh words of denial, followed by a quick apology. Unfortunately, following up with the question "Is it a guy?" wasn't met with a positive reception either.

Opening the refrigerator, Vanellope sighed. When she had heard that she was getting a roommate, she had no idea that it would be like this.

No, it wasn't Tamora. Rather, it was Ralph.

Honestly, she had no idea what to expect when she saw him. I mean, what else are you supposed to think when a much smaller of the Incredible Hulk is eying you like a you're in an alien or something?

Yeah, that confused her as well.

Inside, she was glad that he wasn't actually her roommate. She wouldn't really mind if he was, but honestly, their personality clashes wouldn't help. At all.

Taking out some eggs and bacon, Vanellope closed the fridge and opened the cabinet, immediately grabbing some grits and plopping them down on the counter. She then spotted a loaf of bread and grabbed it. Rubbing her hands together, she rolled up her sleeves and began to…

Oh, right. The dishes.

Vanellope nearly slapped herself in the face.

And braced herself against a nearby wall, involuntarily twitching for the third time that morning. Gladly, it only lasted a few minutes and she immediately snapped back into routine, grabbing a bowl and searching the cabinets for pots and pans.

"I see the demon is awake. "

Vanellope's face scrunched. She honestly didn't feel like speaking this morning. She also had no idea how he had gotten in.

That was one of life's little mysteries she guessed.

"No snappy comeback?"

"Morning's aren't a good time for me," she admitted. She definitely wasn't going to tell him the reason why. "How did you get in anyway? Break the door down?"

When he didn't say anything, Vanellope snickered to herself. She continued to silently prepare breakfast, hoping that another episode wouldn't come. She had no idea if Ralph had left though and didn't want to turn around to find out. He had this silent way of getting around that still surprised her. The only time he could really be heard was when he was angry.

"What the heck, Tamora?!"

"You're the one that's scarred for life!"

Vanellope turned to see Ralph, who currently held his head in his hands. Tamora had emerged from the bathroom, clad only in a bath towel. She was heard scavenging her bedroom and then reentered the bathroom with a bath robe in hand.

"Hey," she said, causing his head to snap up. "Be glad she wasn't naked."

"…" Ralph only glared at her as his face turned red and turned around, leaving Vanellope to her work. She heard him grumbling to himself and smiled. She would be the death of him, that's for sure.

* * *

Felix unconsciously gulped, looking at the mechanical object in his hands and placing it in a cloth bag.

Visions of Tamora danced in his head.

Placing the object back into the small sack that he had brought with him, he began his trek towards her apartment.

He couldn't help but wonder just what was going to happen this time. Well, her falling for him was a long shot, but he could dream, right?

Unfortunately, he couldn't get that dream out of her head.

That's when another question popped into his mind, one that he particularly dreaded.

What if she had a boyfriend?

He adjusted the bag on his shoulders and started to pick up his pace. The idea didn't seem all that far-fetched, considering her beauty and all. She probably didn't have an inkling of interest in him, and if that was the reason, he honestly couldn't blame her. At the same time, though, she didn't look like the person to take a liking to just anyone. Which probably hurt his chances even more.

Even with the small chance that he was sure he didn't have, Felix couldn't keep his mind off the blonde. She was all he could think about during the past three days and the time that passed while waiting for the pump to arrive felt like an eternity. It still surprised him that she personally requested that he return to her apartment to install it. Maybe he did have a chance…

The smile that had almost disappeared reappeared on his face.

Maybe…just maybe…

He could believe what he was hearing outside of her apartment building.

Two voices could be heard arguing back and forth. One could be heard a lot clearer than the other and that one sounded rather gruff and threatening. The other, however, sounded rather high-pitched, but the volume wasn't as pronounced as the man's and in fact, sounded like it was mocking someone. Felix grimaced, but decided not to shrink back from the situation. It wasn't like he hadn't dealt with this before.

* * *

"For the love of God, will you two can it?!"

A collective silence was heard for a few minutes before Vanellope muttered something under her breath. Ralph immediately retaliated, leading to another onslaught of words. Tamora sighed and jammed her toothbrush into her mouth. She had hoped that the hard scrubbing of her teeth would drown out their argument, but it was to no avail. Clearing her mouth of the pasty residue and filling a small cup with mouthwash, her eyes just happened to land on the small clock situated atop the towel cabinet.

9:26 AM.

She began the 30 second swish.

Then she did a double take.

_9:26 AM._

Nearly choking on the liquid, she spat it into the sink and turned on the faucet, clearing the residue out with water.

"Tammy! You okay in there?"

"I'm fine!" she answered, sounding a little harsher than she intended. Hopefully Vanellope didn't take that much offense. Turning around, she grabbed for her bathrobe, snatching it off the hook that failed to keep it up on the door. Fumbling around, she began to tie the sash around her waist.

That's when the doorbell rang.

"FFffFFttttttt!" she hissed, grabbing the doorknob and yanking at it. Realizing that it wasn't budging, she groaned in agony and turned, the door giving to her whelms almost immediately. Noticing that Ralph and Vanellope were still embroiled in argument, she snapped at them to keep it down.

She never did pay attention to Ralph's calling for her. She was too engrossed in getting to the door and making sure that it wasn't…

"Morning, ma'am."

Him.

"…Good morning," she choked. Felix' face turned a deep red and he looked away, rocking back forth on the heels of his feet. "Um, ma'am. I don't mean to be a bother, but…your…robe?"

She looked down to notice that it was wide open and blushed. Turning around, she immediately tightened her sash back up, glad that she was still wearing a towel. Putting on a fake smile, she turned back to face him again. He seemed to be relieved to see that she was covered.

"Thank you," she said plainly.

"It's no problem," he said, nodding. Tamora stepped out of the way to let him enter and let out a sigh of relief.

Maybe. Just maybe things would go by quickly with no problems.

Vanellope's voice reminded her of another thing.

Her roommate and her best friend were still at each other's throats. And she had hoped that they weren't still in the…

She looked down the hallway to see Felix approaching the escalating argument and grimaced.

Kitchen.

Ralph was looming over Vanellope, fists clenched as he growled a warning to her, which she simply brushed off with the next statement. Neither seemed to the notice their guest, until Tamora whistled. Immediately, they noticed the new onlookers and straightened up. Vanellope smirked and giggled, while Ralph seemed rather indifferent and somewhat standoffish.

"Sorry about this," Tamora said, glaring at them. Vanellope only snickered, noticing the red that inherited Tamora's cheeks. Ralph only raised an eyebrow at the young woman's giddiness. Felix only waved it off.

"It's fine," he replied with a smile. "Not like it didn't happen back home." Pulling the pump out of the bag, he walked over to the dishwasher and opened it, immediately getting to work. Tamora motioned Ralph and Vanellope over, only to grab her friend's arm and his ear and drag them away from the kitchen and into the guest bedroom. Ignoring the sudden presence of color that had somehow overtaken it,-which was probably Vanellope's doing-she slowly closed the door and clasped her hands together, her face a blank canvas to the emotions that she was really feeling.

"…You two done arguing like an old married couple, yet?"

"Old?!"

"Married?!"

"Guys!" Tamora nearly yelped. "For once, could you…ugh, that's not going to work. I've asked you two a hundred times already to stop arguing. And now, I have a guest over and I don't want him getting a bad impression. "

"Of you," Vanellope muttered. Ralph, somehow hearing her statement, sniggered a bit, causing the blonde to send them both a steely glare.

"It's not like I can't hear," she growled.

"It's not like I didn't want you to," retorted Vanellope, crossing her arms. "Unless you're about to faint from the heat, despite the fact that I'm pretty sure the thermostat is at 65 degrees the last time I checked, your face has been reddening quite a bit over the past couple of days. I wouldn't be surprised if that maintenance guy was the cause."

"He is," Ralph whispered, sending Vanellope into a stifled fit of giggles. Tamora's face was beet red now.

"It figures that this is the only subject that you two agree on," she grumbled, getting a pair of weird looks that both quickly turned into frowns once both realized what they meant. Tamora stopped herself from facepalming, realizing that she probably shouldn't have mentioned that. They were barely starting to make progress.

"Listen," she huffed after a few minutes. "Just for now, try to at least act like you're getting along." She grabbed the doorknob. "I've got enough on my plate already."

"Such as not admitting she's actually turned on by the guy." Ralph's hand did a poor job of hiding his opinion of Vanellope's joke as he stifled another laugh. Muttering angrily, Tamora sent them another warning glare before opening the door…

And hearing something literally slam into it as she accidentally sent it flying open. Or _someone._

Grimacing, she looked behind the door to see a certain handyman, out cold as he lay sprawled on the hallway floor.

Tamora held in another groan of frustration.

Her day just got a whole lot better.


	6. Miracle

**Good night.**

**Wait, never mind.**

**I'm sorry all. Just a little tuckered out. I found that I couldn't concentrate on my schoolwork at ALL today, for I was too inspired. So I decided to get this done.**

**Notes: kashiakuraku. tumblr dot com /post / 41754106729 / flees-comes-back-aw-man-ok-forgive**

**(The original dot com kept disappearing.)**

**See that link up there? That's the first batch. It's still a work in progress and I really need some feedback on these guys. I know you guys have been wondering when I was going to post it and it's here! See if you can guess who is who...maybe. But really, give me a heads up. Like it? Hate it? Something needs work? Let me know.**

**By the way, I'm going to try and update the other fics I have before this and It's In the Code get updated again. But I might have a chapter or two finished before I update, making a lot easier to get another chapter up. *shrugs***

**Reviews:**

**rangers123: Tell me you're kidding. No, really. I've never been a comedian. And it surprises me every time I make somebody laugh instead of sigh. I'm honored.**

**BEN123: YESH. But not too steamy. Not just yet. Not just yet...maybe. I'll let you be the judge in upcoming chapters.**

**jeh. nee: Sadly, no. He's not Ralph! And yes it is. But not too soon, though. Like I said in the previous chapter, something's gotta happen first. **

**ShadowAbsol13: PFFFT.**

**SakuraRose13: Actually, no, this is the first time someone asked me this. But yeah, they're gonna be a couple. It will be a quite a while before it happens, though. And for good reason.**

**Awesome Stories May Occur: First of all, love your username. Second of all, thank you! And believe me, I have a rather interesting reason for his innate hate of chocolate. *evil smile***

**Disclaimer: I WANT THE ART BOOK. *cries***

**Hope this chapter won't disappoint!**

* * *

_"This is just great. My first potential boyfriend and I greet him with a slap to the face."_

_"It's not like I'm sore about it. I'm sorry if I surprised you."_

_"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm not. Sore. And sorry."_

* * *

"Afternoon, sleeping beauty. You awake yet?"

"…Uh…"

Felix groaned. As he slowly came back to consciousness, he noticed that was he was lying flat on his back. Glancing around, he came to realize that was atop a couch in an unfamiliar living room.

"Where am I?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. Feeling something cold come in contact with his hand, he registered that atop his forehead was an ice pack, tied in place with a sash. "Wha-? What happened?"

"Where else?"

The brunette turned towards the sound of the voice. Sitting in the chair to the right of the couch was a large, hulking man who looked to be in his late twenties. Felix inwardly gulped. He wasn't one to judge but he found it hard to believe that someone of this man's stature would be friendly, albeit even willing to even talk to him without some insulting remark. But the redhead only gazed at him, eyebrow raised, hands clasped together, observing the 25-year-old from a distance.

"Remember anything yet?" he asked after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"…Hardly," Felix said, trying to hide his fear.

The man let his hands fall to his lap. "I figured that."

Felix blinked, his head starting to throb. Just what had happened for him to end up here? He knew that the room he was in looked familiar, but…

"How did I end up here?" Felix wondered aloud.

"Well…" He turned his head towards the redhead, not expecting him to answer. "I could say that it was of your own accord. But at the same time, you were asked to, anyway."

Felix refrained from groaning. He didn't always like it when things got too complicated and the fact that the guy seemed to be speaking in riddles didn't make the situation any better.

At the same time, though, he did have a point.

Felix slowly sat up, leaning against the back of the couch. Strangely enough, it felt rather pleasant despite its outward appearance and the smell reminded him of something as well.

Or rather someone.

Someone…

"May I ask how long I've been out?"

"No need for formalities," his companion stated, chuckling. "It's been about six hours."

"Six hours?" Felix rubbed the back of his neck, trying to rid his neck of its soreness.

"Yep. And if I were you, I'd lay back down. That was quite a whack you took."

_Whack?_

The brunet fought back the urge to shoot the man a weird look. It seemed like he was onto something. Probably implying that he had been knocked out somehow.

_But how? Unless someone was out to get me, the only other way would've been by accident._

"Figured it out yet, Sherlock?"

"Felix."

"What?"

"Felix," he repeated. "Might as well tell you, since you were nice enough to help me out when I was down."

"Ralph," the man replied. "And I didn't do _that _much. Just watching you until Tamora returns."

"Tamora?"

"Your last customer?" Ralph asked.

"My last customer was a tall, blonde beauty that I ordered a dishwashing pump for," admitted Felix, watching Ralph's head nod the entire time. "And she…wait." A sheepish smile appeared on his face. "Is…Is that her name?"

"Yep."

Felix didn't say anything as a pink blush crept to his cheeks, relishing in the new knowledge of the woman he fell head over heels for.

"You okay there, buddy?" Ralph raised an eyebrow.

"What?!" The brunet snapped back into reality, somewhat embarrassed. "Oh! I'm fine. D-don't worry about it."

His smile then suddenly faltered.

Was Ralph-?

No, he didn't want to think about it.

"Something wrong?" A slight expression of concern had appeared on Ralph's face. Felix suddenly remembered where he was and put up a front of innocence, shaking a bit from nervousness.

"Just dandy," he remarked, smiling uncomfortably. Ralph's eyes widened a bit, seemingly surprised by his choice of words. Felix prepared for the usual snarky remark or comment about how weird it sounded. The only thing he heard was,

"Interesting choice of words. To each his own, I guess."

It was Felix's turn to be surprised.

And that's when the door opened.

And the young man found himself blushing once again.

Tamora stopped at the door, staring at him in surprise before composing herself and returning to her usual composure. Felix, realizing that he was staring, turned away and leaned against the armrest, still feeling somewhat winded. He heard Tamora round the couch before stopping to speak to Ralph. Felix felt his stomach drop as his previous thought came back to mind. The blonde turned to him, a look of concern grazing her features.

"How…how are you feeling?"

"…Oh! *ahem* I'm feeling fine, ma'am. I thank you for the concern, though."

She seemed relieved, but suddenly grimaced a bit and returned to being her stone-faced herself.

"No need to be so anti-social, Tammy. He said he was fine."

He watched as a petite, raven-haired woman walked over to Tamora's side. Dressed in a sea green halter and black boots, her hair was arranged in a messy ponytail.

"Don't call me Tammy." She glared at her friend, only for the brunette to put her hands up in false protest.

Sitting on the couch, the blonde carefully removed the sash and lifted the ice pack, placing her hand against Felix's head. He winced despite himself and fought the blush that was creeping towards his cheeks.

"The swelling's gone down." She fastened the ice pack to his head once more. "But I think you need some more rest."

Felix only willingly complied, trying his best to convince himself that it wasn't a dream.

"Um, ma'am, if I may ask…"

"Could you please just call me Tamora?" She sounded a little apprehensive, but the look on her face told him otherwise.

"Oh…alright…Tamora," responded Felix, relishing in the way it sounded, "if you don't mind me wondering aloud, what exactly happened?"

Her face was turning pale, but he continued on, completely oblivious.

"Because, well, if it was my fault, I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, it's not like I haven't botched a job before…"

"I don't like it when a man automatically puts the blame on himself," she stated plainly, causing Felix to flinch internally. "What happened was my fault. My flinging the door in your face wasn't exactly a smart idea…"

"It's not like you would've known, ma'am." Tamora was shooting him a death glare now. Normally, he would've backed down, but for some reason, he couldn't just let her take all the blame. "For all you know, I probably walked straight into it."

Her expression lightened a little and she sighed. "Still, I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, m-I mean, Tamora," he said.

She only nodded. Felix lay back on the couch, making a mental note to finish his job once he was better. He nearly shot up a second later.

"Omigosh! Your dishwasher!"

"Don't worry about it," she responded. "It's been the same way you've left it. Had to force these two idiots not to finish the job themselves." She gained a glare from said companions. "And didn't I just tell you to get some rest?"

Felix immediately obeyed and lay back down, opting not to get up until she said so.

She had no idea just how much he was relishing this moment. For her to even talk to him was a miracle all in itself.

* * *

She could no longer concentrate on the program in front of her as long as _someone_ remained on the couch.

Tamora sighed and looked at the form beside her. Felix was either asleep or deep in thought, but ever since the time he had awoken, he hadn't moved from that spot.

She had literally commanded him not to, but quickly realized that wasn't such a good idea, as the guilt that diminished when he was finally awake had reformed himself in the pit at the bottom of her stomach and it certainly wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Ralph had gone back upstairs by this time and Vanellope decided to order take-out, leaving to pick up the food. Tamora wished that she had said something so that she didn't have to endure this agony alone.

After a few more minutes, she glanced over at the handyman. His eyes were open, staring up at the ceiling.

"How's your head?"

It came out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Much better." He pushed himself up on his elbows and smiled at her. Forcing the warmth down that threatened to bloom across his cheeks, Tamora only nodded. "Good, good." She had to keep up an air of indifference.

Didn't she?

That didn't seem to stop his never-ending interest.

"Oh!" He was now leaning against the armrest of the couch, his attention focused on her. "I almost forgot. Thank you. You honestly didn't have to do this."

"I know that, short-stack," she monotoned. "I…wanted to."

An expression of surprise flashed across his face and he turned away.

Was he blushing?

Whatever evidence that pointed to her previous assumption was gone when he turned back to face her.

"I appreciate your generosity."

"At least someone does." She started to smile despite herself. "You had better do a stellar job on my dishwasher when you're back up to speed, you got that?"

"Yes, ma'am!" He gave a mock salute and winced a bit when he hit himself in the head, reeling from a small bout of self-inflicted pain.

That's when she did something unexpected. The sound started tumbling from her lips before she even realized what was happening.

She laughed.

No, she was laughing.

A genuine laugh.

A rare occurrence in her everyday life that somehow she seemed to welcome.

And she didn't want to stop.

The moment didn't last for long and she quickly composed herself, a small smile etching her features, as her mind screamed.

Why?

What was it about him that made her do these things?

Was it really that simple?

She didn't have time to answer that, for Vanellope burst in the room with Chinese take-out, filling the room with chatter.

Strangely enough, she found that she was glad she didn't have to think about it.

For now.


	7. Numbers, Vacuums and Pillows

**And guess what?**

**I UPDATED!**

**I said that I was going to update the other fics and I did it! Took longer than expected though...**

**Anywhos, this chapter is..bipolar, I guess? I don't know. You be the judge. 'Cause it jumps from lovestruck happiness to angst to sadness.**

**It just came out that way.**

**Oh! I have a slew of faces of the Sugar Rush racers. Maybe I should post them...**

**Things are going to be picking up after this chapter, mainly due to major events that need to happen. And the fact that, unlike MotorcycleChickenSmile, I don't have the ability to describe every detail in such glorious fashion that I can take one day and put it over the length of three chapters and it become freakin' awesome.**

**That wasn't sarcasm. If you haven't read her fic Love Bug, READ IT NOW. *shamelessly promotes***

**And one more thing.**

**THANK YOU ALL!**

**This is my first fic to receive 100 reviews! And I only have seven chapters on the thing! Wow! I thought it was going to be my FN, but goodness! Maybe I should write more AUs...**

**I wish I could do a fancy giveaway. Or send WIR merchandise to everyone, but I can't. Forever broke.**

**Reviews!**

**rangers123: We all want that, don't we?**

**DraculaBleh: *throws confetti***

**NEKO-A-GO-GO: Love the username! And he did! I just wish I could create witty dinner banter. But I can't. *sulks***

**PhineasFan8311: Thank you for being patient with me! Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.**

**Awesome Stories May Occur: I know what you mean. My account sat around for about two years before I finally put it to some real use. Yes! That's exactly what I was going for! I tend to draw my stories out like this because I want it to be believable. And this is a real world AU we're talking about. And even with the fact that this isn't a sexual fanfic (despite the suggestive scene here and there; T's not just for paranoia), you just gave me an idea. *smirks evilly***

**PrayerGirl: Thanks!**

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**Guest: It has been continued!**

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**Guest: *blushes* Aw, stop showering me with praise!**

**HTTYD229: Thank you! If only we could make instant inspiration that so new chappies could be updated faster, XD.**

**Guest: *nearly faints* Too much! I don't deserve this!**

**Makokam: Ah, aw man. I forgot it was you that wrote this review. And if you read the updated FN chapter, I seriously hope you not insulted. I didn't mean anything personal. Anyway, thank you. I appreciate your honest input and I'm going to take it into account. Believe me, it's hard to fit them into these roles, but I have my reasons. But, SPOILERS. Yes, there is a reason Tammy says that. There's going to be quite a bit revealed down the line. Quite a bit. Translation: A LOT.**

**Oh, quick thing before I go on. Ralph is 28, Vanellope is 22 (Before you scream PEDO, my parents are six years apart. And as it turns out Flynn Rider is 26. Seems unrelated but if you've seen Tangled...yeah.), Felix is 25, Tamora is 26 and Gene is 32. Just getting their ages out there. Also, Ralph and Tammy have known each other for about 13-14 years. *goes to correct first chapter***

**Disclaimer: If only we could rewind time and go back to the opening weekend of this movie...**

* * *

_"I'm sorry. I appreciate everything you've done. But she's just not the one for me."_

_"Then who is?"_

_"I wish I could say. But once I know, I know. Believe that."_

* * *

He was really on Cloud Nine. Fingering the piece of paper in his pocket, he bid a farewell to his previous client. He had nearly botched up the job he was called for, which ironically was the simple fixture of a pipe.

Hey, everyone forgets to shut off the main water valve every once in a while.

Gladly, it didn't cause that much of a mess and his client was rather forgiving. He still cleaned it up, though. Fortunately, he didn't have any other calls that day or another tenant would be suffering from his incompetence.

Walking down the stairs and outside the building, Felix beamed from the memories of the previous night.

Vanellope had insisted that he stay for dinner. And mainly due to her eagerness, he found himself unable to refuse her invitation. Tamora stayed quiet for the most part, putting in her own two cents whenever she obviously thought it was needed, but overall, it seemed that she was enjoying his company. She further cemented that fact after dinner, though.

_After finishing the dishwasher, which he practically begged to fix, Felix finally left, not wanting to linger any longer. Receiving his payment from Tamora, he turned to leave._

_"Come back over sometime!" Vanellope exclaimed, winking. "We'd love to see ya again."_

_"Thank you, ma-I mean, Vanellope," Felix replied._

_"Glad that you finally got it right," she said, smiling widely. She sent a glance in Tamora's direction and walked to the side, allowing the blonde to come fully into sight._

_"Well, I guess I'll see you later... Tamora." Felix nodded, trying to keep the blush that was creeping up his neck from revealing itself completely. _

_"…Same here. It was nice having you." It almost sounded as if it was struggle for her to get the words out. _

_"Good night, then." He turned to leave not trying to belabor the moment any longer. _

_"Wait."_

_"Yes, ma'am?"_

_"Um…can I have your number?"_

If he was allowed to have his way, he would've melted right then and there. Fortunately, he was able to keep his emotions under control and was able to manage a simple nod. After the exchange, he bid her a final goodnight and left, grinning like the Chesire Cat. It probably didn't seem like much, but at least it was a start.

* * *

To say that his apartment was unkempt was an understatement.

To say that he didn't care about it was an even bigger one.

Anyone with his job would actually agree with him. Unfortunately, they were rather scarce.

As the sound of the vacuum droned on, Ralph found that somehow noise helped him to think. Most of the time, anyway. Besides, it was the perfect way to avoid having to hear _any _noise coming from the apartment beneath him. But strangely enough, his new neighbor wouldn't be home until later.

Maybe he should have saved the cleaning until then.

Easily moving the couch out of the way, Ralph continued to vacuum the living room with his thoughts as his only company until the events of yesterday played through his mind.

Immediately, his thoughts turned sour.

Honestly, he shouldn't be thinking like this about Felix. They had barely even met and besides, Felix didn't seem like a 'love 'em and leave 'em' kind of guy. In fact, he was probably the complete opposite.

At the same time, he had promised himself that he wouldn't let Tamora get hurt.

Turning off the vacuum, Ralph huffed, running a hand down his face.

She hadn't even asked him to do this. The thought would never cross her mind. But after watching a wedding get ruined because of a no-show, Ralph was not about to take chances.

If he told anyone else about this, they'd probably jokingly suggest that he was in love with Tamora. Which, depending on the poor soul who asked, would've resulted in anything from a hard glare to a slap in the face. He could punch, but he didn't feel like accidentally killing anyone.

The main thing about all of this was that she seemed to like him.

And that was main reason that he was going to keep a close eye on Felix. Unfortunately, thanks to a certain shorty who seemed to be encouraging their relationship, it wasn't going to be easy. At all.

Gladly, she wasn't downstairs for the time being. Where she was, he didn't know and didn't care. He just didn't want to be bothered. He would've preferred Tamora getting a new boyfriend over having Vanellope for a roommate.

Ralph did a mental double take. Did he actually just think that?

The vacuum cord wrapped probably around its handles, Ralph picked up the Kirby with the ease and returned it to a rather stuffed linen closet. Facepalming, he sighed and remembered that this was the very last thing that he had to do. Unfortunately, organizing wasn't one of his strong points, but as long as he had it neat, he could manage.

He was not about to take a chance of the little imp coming in and belittling any of his belongings with her snarky remarks. Like he'd even allow her to be invited to his place anyway.

Placing the vacuum down, Ralph stopped.

Why was he doing this?

He glared at the inside of the closet. If anyone else was near him, they'd probably he was a bit mental.

Honestly, he hadn't even planned on cleaning his apartment until a few days later. Maybe some straightening up here and there, but nothing major.

Grasping the closet door, Ralph flicked his fingers, not even flinching when it slammed shut.

He was not about to change anything for the little she-devil that lived downstairs.

He didn't do it for anyone else. He definitely wasn't going to do it for her.

Storming over to the couch, Ralph plopped down in the middle of it, ignoring the small creak of protest it gave.

Sending a short glance back to the overstuffed closet, he turned on the television, determined not to let his thoughts drift back to Vanellope.

* * *

Vanellope let the door close behind her without much of a sound and trudged upstairs. Unlocking the door to the apartment, she lazily pushed against the door and was greeted to an empty apartment.

She was actually glad that no one was home.

Kicking her shoes off, she dragged herself over to the couch and flopped onto the cushions, burying her face in a pillow before wrapping her arms around it.

No, she wouldn't…couldn't cry. She wouldn't let him get to her.

Her ideas were not garbage.

They weren't rubbish.

Trash.

Crap.

Foolish things that would never come to fruition.

Why was the only person that she could rely on the only one she couldn't?

A large, slamming sound resonated from the floor above her, causing the young woman to flinch. Loud footsteps could be heard traveling from end of a room to another. Whatever Ralph was fuming about could never compare to what she just faced.

She was actually having a rather decent morning. Strangely enough, part of her income came from the selling of custom clothes in would gain a percentage from the profits the shop owners gained from the selling of her b-brand.

She cringed. Her getting emotional was not helping her condition right now.

But the involuntary twitching came anyway.

Forcing herself not to cry until her mini-episode was over, she tried to concentrate on positive things that had happened to her that day.

She actually made a rather nice amount today. It would hold her over until she reestablished her website, which she hoped would become her main source of income. She hadn't gotten her name out there yet, but she was glad she had a loyal base of customers. Even if her color choices were a little…out there.

Clay had invited her to race again. It had been a while since she moved that she had even touched a motorcycle, but she had been inching to feel the adrenaline rush through her once more.

She had finally gotten Tamora to admit that Felix was starting under her skin. In a good way, of course.

Feeling more in control of her emotions, Vanellope sighed and sat up. Tamora would be coming in soon. She might as well fix a late lunch.

In an attempt to make herself feel better, she smiled.

Again.

And again.

And again.

It didn't mask her true feelings, but it reminded her of the very reason she moved and the fact that for once, she was satisfied.

For now.


End file.
